


Scarred for Life

by Airwing



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Body Modification, M/M, Scarification, Tattoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-20
Updated: 2014-11-20
Packaged: 2018-02-26 10:17:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2648366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Airwing/pseuds/Airwing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chuck decides he wants a tattoo and takes Raleigh with him. What he ends up with might be more than he originally bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scarred for Life

**Author's Note:**

> _Author's Notes: This is my first foray into a drabble, or little random single scene in the middle of nowhere. It's completely Chaleigh and not necessarily for the squeamish should alternative methods of body art disturb you. And it goes without saying, don't try this at home because I am pretty sure that while this form of art is legit, the method I came up with is not and just might kill you or worse. That said, read on kids! Sorry, no smut! Unbetaed so excuse any errors.  
> _

**Streets of Hong Kong**

Chuck stared up at the neon sign, the Chinese lettering a mystery to him. Unlike Raleigh, he hadn't studied the Asian languages and stuck merely to English and 'Chuck-lish' as he dubbed his preferred slang, which was primarily made up of interesting combinations of swear words. 

"The fuck's that mean?" he asked, pointing up at the sign.

Raleigh grinned. "Does it matter?" he asked sarcastically. "Okay, okay. It says 'Tats and Things', or the Chinese equivalent anyway," he answered upon seeing Chuck's irritated glare.

"And things, eh? Don't get any bright ideas now. I'm not gettin' anything pierced or cut on. Just the tattoo," the redhead said. He rolled his eyes as he opened the door to the small shop, the coppery odor of ink and metal filling his nostrils immediately.

The proprietor of the shop intercepted them before they could even approach the wall of designs. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. How can I help you today?" the man said in an all-too-formal tone. It was obvious the man was trying to sound as if English were his first language, pronouncing each word carefully.

Chuck hesitated a moment. While he had already gotten a tattoo on his inner forearm--the Striker Eureka bull dog logo--this was going to be a little different. A little more... unique. The logo had hurt, but the Budweiser in Chuck's free hand had made it bearable. 

"We're PPDC rangers. Kinda wanted to get something custom made," Chuck answered. 

"Oh yes, we can do that sirs!" the owner said enthusiastically, starstruck that he now had two rangers in his shop. Rangers were better than celebrities--they saved the world, celebrities merely entertained it.

The red-headed ranger smiled. "Excellent. So look, here's what we wanna do. My friend here got these electrical scars a few years ago, and I want to get a tattoo to match the pattern." He watched the man's face turn from excitement to confusion and then a light bulb must have gone off in the man's head because his face returned to one that surpassed jubilance.

"I have just the thing sirs! It's actually something different if you want to be authentic," the Chinese man said. "It's far more permanent than any tattoo. It can never be removed even with surgery, but it will match the scars exactly."

Both rangers looked at him quizzically. 

"Come with me sirs, if you are obliged to do this."

Raleigh and Chuck exchanged meaningful stares. This was a big decision. Tattoos could be covered up, removed with surgery if it came down to it, but whatever this method was the owner was talking about was something more drastic and Chuck had to be certain. 

"Alright, sure then mate. Let's give it a go," Chuck said, shrugging his shoulders. If he was gonna do it, he may as well go all the way. 

The two men followed the store owner through a door that led into a larger room with two large chairs and a contraption in the center, vials of colored ink lining a cylinder that had tubes leading to tattoo guns. At the back of the room was another chair next to a padded table. That was where the owner stopped them.

"I will have my artist in here in a moment once I explain to her what you want. Only a moment sirs." And with that the small Asian man whisked out of the room, leaving the two rangers alone.

They stood in awkward silence, both sets of eyes roaming around the room, noting the various objects and photos on the walls--pictures of previous customers' work. They didn't wait long, however, before the door opened and in walked the owner, followed by a beautiful Chinese woman. She looked nothing like the stereotypical tattoo and piercing artist, lacking any jewelry of her own and no visible ink either. She did have a peculiar scar between her breasts, right in the middle of her cleavage.

A scar. An artist with a scar. A visible one. It suddenly dawned on Raleigh what they intended to do and the idea both thrilled and scared him. He recalled the sensations of his flesh burning as the marks were seared into his flesh by wiring that had come undone from their proper housings. Suddenly he felt the same ache in his shoulder that he got whenever he thought about that day. The thing was, those sensations had been a different kind of pain. They hurt physically, but they also marked for him a permanent reminder of the day his brother died. It was that very reason he had been so hesitant to support Chuck in his decision to mimic the scars. They had meaning for him but as far as he knew, Chuck just wanted the pattern to look cool. It gave him a taste of bitterness but it did not good to argue with his boyfriend, so he relented to go along with it.

"Hello gentlemen," the woman said airily. "You can call me Jiao. I'll be performing your procedure today." While her words were formal, she put off an aura of relaxedness and her smile put both men at ease.

"M'name's Chuck, this is m'friend Raleigh. Your friend there tell you what I want?"

Jiao smiled softly. "Oh yes, Mr. Chuck. He said you want to match Mr. Raleigh's scars. I can do that for you today."

"Do you mind explaining exactly how you're gonna do that? That man said it was 'more permanent' and 'authentic'." Raleigh piped up, knowing full well what the answer would be. They were going to brand Chuck's skin. He was sure of it. Afterall, what could be more authentic than real burn scars?

"Yes, Mr. Raleigh. I will observe your own scars and make a tracing. I will then arrange a series of wires into the proper shapes and then apply them to Mr. Chuck to imprint him," the young woman answered as if it were the most common thing in the world to have this mystery procedure performed.

Chuck glanced at his friend boyfriend with a look of nervousness in his eyes. "What's she mean apply? Imprint? You gonna cut on me?" he asked urgently. "I'm not into being sliced and diced on."

"Oh no, Mr. Chuck," Jiao replied, shaking her head slightly. "There will be no cutting."

The Australian gave a sigh of relief. "Oh good, I don't much like a knife you know."

"Thats fine, sir. No knife involved. Not for burning," the woman said matter-of-factly.

"Burn?!" Chuck exclaimed. "What do you mean burn?"

Raleigh put his hand on Chuck's arm. "Calm down. It'll match mine exactly like you wanted. Remember, you were kinda disappointed a tattoo wouldn't look the same right?" Raleigh couldn't help but find a certain satisfaction in the fact that Chuck was obviously getting himself in over his head as a result of his cockiness. His desire to 'look cool'. 

"Yeah, but..." Chuck argued but then he looked at Jiao and her big eyes and friendly smile and suddenly felt at ease. This woman was going to brand him, but she wouldn't hurt him. "Alright, fine then. No drama for me then. Let's do it." His words sounded much more confident than he felt. In truth he was seriously debating on whether or not to call off the whole thing and run back to the Shatterdome, tail between his legs from wussing out.

Satisfied that her customer was on board for the art project, Jiao motioned to Raleigh. "Now, Mr. Raleigh, if you would please show me the scars so that I may make the tracing."

Without a word, Raleigh removed his shirt, baring his chest, and the scars that would soon be Chuck's as well. 

"Ah yes, I imagine these are battle scars Mr. Raleigh, correct?" Jiao asked curiously. "I was told you are rangers, sirs."

"Yeah. Circuits in the suit kinda fried me a bit." He figured there was no need to tell Jiao about the horrible history behind their origin. 'Battle scars' was good enough.

Jiao said nothing but instead reached over and ran her soft fingertips over the rough flesh. She traced the entire pattern, from his shoulder to his pectoral and then she cocked her head sideways. 

Raleigh tried not to shiver at the cool touch of the woman, not used to being touched so closely by a female.

"This will be simple for me to complete. Mr. Raleigh, I ask you to please lay down on the table. I will now make my tracing."

Once Raleigh was on the table, Jiao adjusted his arm until she had him in the perfect position. She placed a fine cloth that was so light it was almost clear over his chest and shoulder and took a fine point marker and carefully began to draw the pattern.

It only took the woman five minutes total, then she took a few measurments with a tape and excused herself to the back room.

In the twenty minutes she had been gone, Chuck reconsidered his option to go through with this or not yet again. The idea of actually burning his skin made him queasy, and he was not easily unnerved. The more he looked at his boyfriend's chest, however, the more he wanted to do this. He wanted them to match. He wanted to feel what Raleigh felt. No matter how crazy it might make him, and this was as authentic it could be without an honest to goodness circuit burn from a suit.

"Alright Mr. Chuck, I am finished with my task," Jiao announced as she entered the room again. She was carrying a metal frame that was lined with gold-plated wires on one side, the gold forming the exact pattern from Raleigh's chest. "I will need you to remove your shirt and rest upon the table."

Chuck shrugged off his shirt, his chest slightly itchy from where Raleigh had shaved it for him earlier in anticipation of a tattoo. They could either do his whole chest, or the artist would shave only the smallest area needed and that would have left him looking ridiculous. He then sat up on the table, threw his legs up on it and then laid back. "All right then, let's get this done."

"Mr. Raleigh, I will need your strength, as will your friend. I will need your power, he will need your support," Jiao said calmly, looking at the blond. "But first, we must ready him."

"Ready me? What the-" Chuck began to ask, but Jiao put a fingertip to his lips to silence him. She then put the wireframe down and rose with a handful of straps. She placed them across Chuck's waist, legs, and abs. She then strapped down his right arm as well. "This is to keep you from moving too much, Mr. Chuck. We do not want to falsely mimic the pattern."

"So what do you need me for, then?" Raleigh inquired, almost afraid of what she might say. "I don't have to do the branding do I?"

""Oh no, sir. I will need you to hold his arm in place, and keep him pinned to the table as firmly as possible. I need to ensure a stable working area. We do not want to ruin the design," she repeated. 

The young woman placed Chuck's arm exactly as she wanted it - in the same position Raleigh's had been when she traced it. She used an alcohol swab to clean the area and then picked up the wireframe and placed the cold metal against Chuck's chest. She pressed down in several places, forming it to lay flush against his exact form. 

"Now Mr. Chuck, I will begin the procedure. You will feel intense pain, but it will not harm your health. It will last only as long as necessary and when we are done, you will match Mr. Raleigh exactly," Jiao explained. She then looked at Raleigh. "Please hold him tightly, Mr. Raleigh. Tighter than you ever have before. And please, lock your eyes with his. Keep his attention. Draw him into you, and it will ease his pain."

It sounded hokey to both men, but at this point they were willing to try anything to lessen the hurt about to come. Despite the fact Chuck was about to get exactly what he asked for, Raleigh felt slightly guilty that he hadn't even tried to talk him out of this more extreme method of 'art'.

The Asian woman reached down, took a metal clasp and attached it to the wireframe, and then with one more look at the position of the frame, reached down to press a switch.

The sensation Chuck felt ignite in his body was indescribable. It didn't even start out slow, but was just an immediate shock. He began to writhe on the table but the straps held him tight, Raleigh holding down what the straps could not.

"Chuck! Chuck look at me!" the blond ordered. "Come on, look at me. Look at me now!"

Chuck was too busy yelling obscenities and squeezing his eyes shut tight to look at anything. 

"Please Mr. Chuck, do as he says. It will ease the pain. Be drawn into his eyes. Let him pull you in," Jiao urged, her voice remaining entirely too calm considering she was holding a frame in place on a squirming man. 

Chuck forced his eyes open, noting the soft smile from the artist as she looked down at him, and then he saw Raleigh. Saw his eyes. Raleigh. His beautiful eyes. All Chuck could focus on was the beauty there. The brilliant blue ocean that were the irises of his boyfriend. His mind began to float away, every bit of his focus being pulled into Raleigh's eyes, away from the pain. What had been a searing heat was lessening to a dull throb.

After what seemed like hours but was only a few minutes, the smell of burned flesh that had been permeating the room abated, along with the pain. At the moment the surge of electricity halted, Chuck snapped out of Raleigh's gaze and back into the real world. It was then that the pulsing ache truly settled in.

"Oh bloody fucking hell!" Chuck swore, already wishing he had a beer and some painkillers.

"We are done, Mr. Chuck," Jiao assured him. "It came out with perfection. The wound will heal and scar, and you will match Mr. Raleigh. You will then have your own story to tell of how you acquired your markings."

Chuck tried to turn his head but a sharp sting kept him from turning too far. 

"Be careful until the healing begins," Jiao instructed. "Mr. Raleigh, you will need to clean the site regularly until the healing is finished. Use soft alcohol pads and dab gently. Infection is the worst possibility, and we will keep that from happening."

The young woman took a hand mirror and placed it before Chuck's face, angling it until the man could see his new artwork. The wounds were angry, bright red, but perfectly inflicted. The wires had done an amazing job. 

Jiao carefully covered the site with gauze and gave the two men final care instructions. She then requested that they return to show her how the finished piece looked. 

"How much do we owe you? Money shouldn't be a problem after that last scuffle in Australia," Chuck said, reaching gingerly for his back pocket with his right arm. 

"No, Mr. Chuck. No charge. It is an honor to work art on heroes. It is my privilege to do this for you. Please, no charge at all," Jiao insisted. 

Chuck was about to argue but Raleigh nodded to him, a reminder than in Asian culture to refuse a gift was an extreme insult. 

"Thank you then, Jiao. We'll be back to show you how it looks healed up," Raleigh said. "Come on Chuck, let's get you a beer and a nap." 

"Oi, easy on the arm mate!" Chuck scolded as Raleigh went to pull on his right arm. "Pullin' on the good one hurts the bad one. I can manage on m'own."

Jiao stifled a laugh at the funny caucasian men before her. 

"Thanks, Jiao. We'll send anyone else who wants work done right on down here," Chuck added. 

Jiao bowed courteously, thanking them both once again.

As soon as they made it outside, Chuck started swearing again. "This shit hurts like a fucking bitch you sod! How did I let you talk me into this?"

Raleigh grinned like a cat. "It was your idea to get a tattoo. It's not my fault if they did you one better. I tried to talk you out of it back at the Dome hours ago."

Chuck growled. "I guess... If that's what you had to feel back then, I guess it makes me appreciate it that much more."

"Was it worth it?"

Chuck was silent a moment before answering. "Yeah, yeah it was. A hundred percent."

"Chuck, why was it so important you do this? You know what these scars mean for me, so why? Like I said earlier today, it's almost... It's almost an insult," Raleigh said quietly. He didn't want to anger Chuck (again), but he wanted a sincere answer from him. Raleigh just knew there had to be more to it.

"Yeah, I know what they mean, mate. That's the point," the redhead replied. He smirked at Raleigh's confused look. "It sounds cheesy mate, but behind those scars you keep a lot of emotions bottled up. You put so much blame on yourself, take so much responsibility for it all. And you don't let anyone in. Not even me."

Raleigh scowled. "So what's that got to do with being branded like a cow?"

"Because now you don't have to deal with it all yourself. You can let me take some of it. Your pain be our pain," Chuck answered. "Now if ya don't mind, all this sappy shit's making me dizzy."

Raleigh was silent for several minutes as they strolled down the street. Finally, he spoke. "Thank you," he said softly. "Before you go shouldering all that burden, you'll need a few beers before those alcohol pads tonight."

"S'alright mate. As long as you keep that up, you'll be needing some cold showers for a while," Chuck retorted.

Raleigh scoffed. "Yeah, we'll see how long you hold out. You love me too much to deny me for too long."

"Shaddup you," Chuck said. "What do you think m'old man's gonna say when he sees this?"

Hours later, the Shatterdome echoed with two sounds: Herc yelling at the top his lungs, and the bellow of laughter from both Raleigh and Chuck.


End file.
